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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Bobt
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Goo Poong went to find the place where the Zegal family had gathered. It wasn’t that difficult to find them.
The Kaiyang branch wasn’t that wide, and it was hard for anyone to approach the Zegal family unless they were a force of the same rank.
Other visitors, especially martial artists, couldn’t approach them due to the wall they had set up and could only watch from afar.
“Fourteen Sword Hero!” A middle-aged man with a goatee and a scholar’s attire waved his hand from a distance to greet Goo Poong.
“Oh, isn’t it the Scholar of the Barren Earth, Zegal Shak? It’s been a long time,” Goo Poong said. He was acquainted with Zegal Shak.
“It must have been about three years,” Zegal Shak said, glancing behind Goo Poong.
“By the way, the young heroes behind you seem to be members of the Lotus Hall just by looking at them. Are you their guardian, Fourteen Sword Hero?” he asked.
“You are correct,” Goo Poong said.
“Haha, what a coincidence. I’m in the same situation,” Zegal Shak said with a delighted expression and signaled to the group waiting behind him. They varied in age and gender, but most of them had a slender build in common.
“The Zegal family has also brought children who will become the late-stage disciples of the orthodox sect. Since this is also a connection, if it’s alright, I’d like to create an opportunity for them to interact and socialize. They are all my nephews and nieces,” Zegal Shak said.
“Greetings, Hero. It’s an honor to meet the renowned Fourteen Sword Hero in person,” the youth who stepped forward first among Zegal Shak’s nephews and nieces said.
There were three of them.
The youth who stood out had fair skin, a delicate jawline, and dazzling beauty.
If it weren’t for his post-pubescent voice and clothing, he could have easily been mistaken for a woman due to his pretty and graceful appearance.
Behind him were a boy and a girl who, like Joo Seo-cheon, had not yet reached adulthood.
The boy had drooping shoulders and didn’t show his face, giving off a gloomy atmosphere. The girl, unlike the boy, exuded a bold and noble feeling. Her beauty was also remarkable, although not quite at the level of Nak So-wol.
“Oh, could you be…” Goo Poong widened his eyes and stared at the youth. It seemed he recognized who he was.
“I am Zegal Sang. In the jianghu, I am embarrassingly known by the nickname ‘Jade Gentleman,'” the handsome youth said with a bitter smile, blushing.
“I thought I had seen you somewhere before. You are the young master of the Zegal family!” Goo Poong said, placing his fist on his palm and muttering, “As expected.”
Jade Gentleman, Zegal Sang. Despite being a man, his beauty had been known throughout the world since childhood.
In addition, he was also renowned as the future leader who would lead the Zegal family.
“I am Zegal Su-ran. Big Brother Sang and I are half-siblings,” the girl introduced herself.
Her introduction was a bit sensitive, but Goo Poong coughed and quickly moved on as if it was nothing.
For the children of the head of one of the Five Great Families, this kind of situation was common.
“Ah, Zegal Su-ran!” Jang Hong exclaimed in admiration at the mention of Zegal Su-ran’s name. The surrounding gazes focused on him.
“I apologize for the interruption,” Jang Hong said, scratching the back of his head and apologizing, feeling like he had abruptly cut off the introduction.
“There’s no need to feel so sorry. On the contrary, I’m just happy that a member of the Lotus Hall knows Su-ran,” Zegal Shak said with a pleased smile.
“How could I not know about her? Of course, I know,” Jang Hong said, glancing at Zegal Su-ran and blushing.
For a child who had grown up focusing only on training, the existence of Zegal Su-ran was enough to set his heart on fire.
As a rule, men, whether young or old, are always interested in the beauty of the opposite sex. This was an unchanging law.
Although Zegal Su-ran was the daughter of a concubine, she was still the daughter of the family head, so she inevitably gained fame.
Above all, from a young age, she not only looked noble and elegant but also attracted popularity with her intelligence, befitting her origin from the Zegal family.
Thanks to these points, even though Zegal Su-ran was a child of a concubine, no one looked down on her.
“You flatter me, young hero. But I’m grateful that you speak of me in such a way,” Zegal Su-ran said, answering with a softer gaze, although she didn’t smile.
Jang Hong’s face turned even redder like a ripe persimmon.
“And…” Zegal Su-ran continued.
“I… I am Zegal Seung-gye…” the boy who was the same age as Zegal Su-ran introduced himself in a crawling voice.
His powerless voice, drooping shoulders, and unconfident demeanor were in stark contrast to Zegal Su-ran.
“Hmm, I lack knowledge, so I’m not very familiar with the young master. My apologies,” Goo Poong said, tilting his head slightly.
“Seung-gye rarely shows himself even within the family, so it’s natural. He’s a bit lacking, so please understand. He’s a kind child,” Zegal Sang said, patting Zegal Seung-gye’s shoulder beside him. It was a truly good-natured smile.
“Haha, for some reason, I feel like he’ll get along well with my junior brother,” Jang Hong muttered, patting Joo Seo-cheon’s shoulder. It was a remark that openly looked down on Zegal Seung-gye.
“If it’s alright, could you also introduce the young heroes who will shoulder the future of Mount Hua?” Zegal Shak asked, looking at the three members of the Lotus Hall with an interested gaze. Goo Poong naturally agreed and introduced Jang Hong first.
Meanwhile, Joo Seo-cheon, whose introduction was pushed to the very end, had been fixing his gaze on one spot for a while.
“Hahaha!” he thought.
He felt like laughing out loud.
His excitement hadn’t subsided for a while.
Since a certain name from the Zegal family’s bloodline was mentioned, he had been like this. A certain sensation ran through his spine.
His gaze followed only one person.
“Honestly, I didn’t even expect you to be here. I only had a hopeful feeling,” he thought.
He didn’t know what was going on in this era, but there were many heroes who would be remembered by future generations for a long time.
Zegal Sang, who would later be called the Heavenly Commander, was one of the representative figures among those heroes.
When the martial arts world was filled with turmoil, Zegal Sang showed extraordinary abilities and was recognized before even reaching the age of thirty.
Even before inheriting the position of the family head, Zegal Sang was recognized for his abilities and character, and he even became a commander of the Wulin Alliance.
However, due to his exceptional abilities, he became a target of hostile forces and was assassinated five years after becoming a commander.
“If I meet the Merchant King, I was planning to persuade him to find you somehow,” Joo Seo-cheon thought.
After that, the position of the Wulin Alliance’s commander was passed on to his half-sister, the Strategist Beautiful Phoenix, Zegal Su-ran.
During the time when Zegal Sang was active, Zegal Su-ran assisted him by his side, and her abilities were also extraordinary.
If Zegal Sang excelled in military strategy and tactics, Zegal Su-ran excelled in schemes carried out in unseen places.
People praised these two, saying that although they were born from different wombs, they were connected more deeply than anyone else.
Most of the strategies, military tactics, and schemes that came from the Wulin Alliance during the era of turmoil originated from these two.
People even said that it seemed like Zhuge Liang had been reborn as a man and a woman.
Fortunately, the Strategist Beautiful Phoenix survived after the Heavenly Commander’s death by being vigilant of her surroundings, but she passed away around the time when all the turmoil ended.
Ironically, the cause of her death was the same as the Heavenly Commander’s—assassination. Despite being so cautious and careful, she ultimately couldn’t avoid it.
And there was one more person…
“Late Awakened Reaching Heaven, Zegal Seung-gye!” Joo Seo-cheon thought.
Zegal Seung-gye was the belatedly known heaven, along with the Merchant King, whom he had been desperately searching for.
When the names of the Heavenly Commander and the Strategist Beautiful Phoenix were mentioned, he was a bit surprised but didn’t find it strange enough to question it.
The two’s bond was originally known to be strong. He knew that they had been together since childhood.
Moreover, since the direct bloodline of the Zegal family frequently visited near Kaiyang to assess the situation, it made sense for them to be here.
However, Zegal Seung-gye was different. As soon as he saw him, he couldn’t hide his surprise.
Late Awakened Reaching Heaven, Zegal Seung-gye, was not originally someone who would come to a place like this. He had planned to either ask the Merchant King or find another way to locate him.
Although he had a hopeful feeling when he heard that the Zegal family was in Kaiyang, he didn’t have high expectations.
Joo Seo-cheon also thought that there was no reason for Zegal Seung-gye to come.
Because, to the point of questioning whether he could even leave Hubei, he was truly incompetent.
“Even if you’re incompetent, there’s a limit. Just looking at you makes people frustrated and annoyed. Fix your attitude,” Zegal Shak said, clicking his tongue and looking at Zegal Seung-gye with a pathetic gaze after the brief introduction of the Lotus Hall members was over.
“Look at the young heroes from the Lotus Hall. They are all around your age, but aren’t they all splendid? If you could be even half like them, I wouldn’t have to scold you like this,” he added.
Zegal Seung-gye couldn’t say a word and just lowered his head deeply. He lowered his head so much that his face couldn’t even be seen.
“What the family demands from you is not something extraordinary. Just circulate the basic internal cultivation technique like others, stop studying useless things like mechanical arts, and study the art of formations instead!” Zegal Shak continued.
Goo Poong had a helpless expression on his face. He looked quite troubled.
Zegal Shak scolded and reprimanded Zegal Seung-gye to his face, completely ignoring the gazes of those around him.
Zegal Seung-gye still kept his head lowered and remained still without saying a word. He didn’t move at all.
“Ahem,” Zegal Shak sighed after venting his anger for a while, seemingly calming down.
Then he turned his gaze towards the Mount Hua Sect side, scratched his head, and apologized with a sorry expression.
“I apologize for showing such an unsightly behavior in front of the young heroes of the Mount Hua Sect and the Fourteen Sword Hero. However, I did it in hopes that this child would reflect and learn from seeing the members of the Lotus Hall,” he said.
“It’s alright,” Goo Poong said, scratching his head and smiling bitterly.
“Although it’s a short period, while carrying out the mission together, please don’t hesitate to reprimand him as much as you want. He still hasn’t come to his senses, and it’s serious. Even though he may be useless, I hope he changes through this mission,” Zegal Shak said, spitting out sharp words. It was enough to make even the onlookers feel astounded.
“This is all because of your actions. You brought this upon yourself. That’s why you’re called ‘Meddling in Trivial Matters and Being Oddly Strange’!” he added.
Meddling in trivial matters and being oddly strange.
It was a nickname Zegal Seung-gye had earned before even making his debut in the jianghu.
Although it wasn’t known throughout the entire martial arts world, it was a well-known nickname in Hubei, where the Zegal family was located.
Naturally, as one could tell from the nickname, it didn’t have a very good meaning.
This was the reason why Joo Seo-cheon had little expectation that Zegal Seung-gye would come.
The treatment of Zegal Seung-gye at present was the worst, not only in the martial arts world but even within the Zegal family.
“Yes, it can’t be helped that he receives such treatment,” Joo Seo-cheon thought.
Mechanical arts were a dead art.
Even the Zegal family, who once took pride in mechanical arts along with the art of formations, neglected it.
This was because both the orthodox and unorthodox sects, and even the demonic forces, neglected mechanical arts. If opposing forces used it, they would have shown interest in it to destroy it, but that wasn’t the case either.
In the end, both sides left only a small amount of records and neglected it, and now, in the current era, it was almost forgotten.
Just studying mechanical arts was enough reason to be scolded. However, Zegal Seung-gye went further and didn’t even properly learn the family’s martial arts.
No, to be precise, he tried to learn the family’s martial arts but had no talent for martial arts at all.
Indeed, the bloodline of the Zegal family originally lacked talent for martial arts compared to other martial artists.
The same went for their physique. They were just ordinary people. Anything beyond that was rare even in the history of the Zegal family.
In the first place, the Zegal family was a family that produced many individuals who were more intelligent in mind than in body.
Honestly, it didn’t matter if they weren’t good at martial arts. What the Zegal family took pride in was their intelligence and the art of formations.
However, Zegal Seung-gye’s lack of talent was too extreme. He couldn’t even reach the level of an average martial artist.
Such a worst-case scenario was also rare to find, and he didn’t even study the art of formations, so he was scolded.
“Ah…” Joo Seo-cheon sighed inwardly.
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